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Burton said the Crows became aware Lever intended to leave in the weeks leading up to their shattering grand-final loss to Richmond.

He claimed Lever and his partner were happy with life in Adelaide and said the decision to reject a lucrative offer that would have placed him among the Crows' top-earners was clearly "financially motivated".

"We don't think it's fair on the rest of the playing group that we make him our highest-paid player," Burton said.

"Right now, we've got a list that is evolving and we need to make decisions that are fair to the rest of the playing group so we can continue to improve."

The Crows were expected to demand two first-round draft picks for Lever, who led the AFL for intercepts per game in 2017.

Such a trade would leave Adelaide in a strong position to make a fresh play for Carlton midfielder Bryce Gibbs.

Melbourne have pick No.10 at their disposal in this year's draft but could be forced to also offer up a future first-round selection.

Burton confirmed that Collingwood had also spoken to Adelaide's list management team about a potential deal for Lever.

Lever could nominate for the pre-season draft in the absence of a trade to Melbourne but would risk being snapped up by a team with a higher pick.